breakup – KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
780 AM | 96.1 FM | Yours for Western AlaskaFri, 16 Mar 2018 23:55:13 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.459285469On Thin Icehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/05/04/on-thin-ice/
Wed, 04 May 2016 21:24:50 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=22746As springtime arrives in the sub-Arctic, the melting of our region’s ice cover is one of the clearest signs of the new season. It’s no surprise that ice — especially the lack of it — been a frequent subject of KNOM News’ recent stories.]]>

As springtime makes its gradual — and sometimes dramatic — arrival in the sub-Arctic, ice, especially the ice covering the sea and local rivers, is one of the clearest metrics for the changing of the season.

The melting and breaking apart of wintertime ice is what gives this phase of the year its northern nickname, “breakup.” For more than four decades, KNOM has broadcast weather and news updates on the progress of breakup in our region, thus fulfilling our mission to keep Western Alaska listeners informed — because while the thawing of river and ocean ice is a slow process, it also carries with it the specter of hazards for our region, whether in the form of dangerous transportation routes or local flooding. Indeed, in recent months, ice — especially the lack of it — has been a frequent subject of our news stories. Here are a few notable examples.

In late March, news volunteer Emily Russell reported that a US-Navy-led facility for international research — Ice Camp Sargo (pictured), located on a large ice floe off the coast of Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, within the Arctic Circle — had to demobilize early because of historically low levels of Arctic Ocean ice cover. “The Navy,” as Emily wrote, “has held its Ice Exercise, or ICEX for short, to test military readiness and conduct scientific research in the far north every few years since 1960.” In late winter 2016, record lows in Arctic ice cover, coupled with unusually warm temperatures, led the installation to pack up early. Thankfully, Sargo’s 200-plus participants were all evacuated safely.

British explorers Neil Laughton and James Bingham, in Nome shortly after their rescue from the thin ice of the Bering Strait. Photo: Emily Russell, KNOM.

It was a safe rescue from thin ice, too, for a pair of British explorers who attempted to make a partial sea crossing of the Bering Strait — the body of water separating Western Alaska from eastern Russia — but failed because of unexpected ice conditions. In another Emily Russell story, KNOM broadcast the news of Neil Laughton and James Bingham (pictured above), who hoped to cross between the Western Alaska villages of Wales and Diomede by walking and paddling across the frozen and open water sections of the Bering Sea that they encountered. Despite ample preparations — and prior experiences climbing Mount Everest and skiing to both the North and South Pole — the explorers found themselves mired in unpredictable sea ice conditions, surrounded by ice too thin to walk or make camp and too thick to paddle through. In the days after they were rescued and brought back to safety in Nome, KNOM brought their incredible story to our listeners. Underscoring the extremity of the landscape immediately surrounding KNOM country, Laughton told Emily, “there are three outcomes” for an expedition like theirs, through the sub-Arctic: “there’s success, there’s rescue, and there’s death.”

While ice is still solid near Moses Point, a spit located east of Elim, Keith said most shorefast ice is already starting to break away — something that usually happens in May.

“I think it’s probably three weeks or maybe four weeks early,” he said.

For safety, village officials are urging snowmachiners to use overland trails when traveling to and from Elim.

One snowmachiner has already gone missing while traveling between Elim and Koyuk. Local residents are still searching for Roger Hannon of Koyuk, who went missing two weeks ago in blizzard conditions. Searchers found his snowmachine in open water on the edge of the sea ice east of Elim.

All across Western Alaska, it’s the season known as “breakup”: the slow, on-again/off-again period of melting that signals the gradual approach of summer. Some days are bright and sunny, and others are cloudy and snowy. The sun melts ice on rooftops as the tundra gives up its blanket of white snow, little by little. Spring is here, mud and large puddles reign supreme in our streets, and birds of all kinds are returning to their summer homes.

There have been mail delays at the local post office, so we haven’t been able to thank our supporters as quickly as we would like. Nome is at the end of the mail trail, and it sometimes takes an extra two to three weeks or more to receive envelopes and packages from supporters in the Lower 48. Everything takes longer here at the edge of the Bering Sea.

Finally, we’ve just received word that the KNOM volunteers have been awarded four Communicator Awards for excellence in radio programming! They will soon be adding three silver statues, and one gold, to the KNOM trophy case.